MMS Blog

Like wars and natural disasters, the coronavirus represents an unwelcome crisis that will have long-lasting effects on the global economy and, most importantly, the lives of our loved ones. However, if history has taught us anything, it has taught us that such events can produce exceptional human efforts on a global scale. It is our time to shine.

Manufacturing has a huge part to play in this effort. Demand for parts for ventilators, stretchers and other biomedical essentials is some six times greater than normal and expected to continue for the next several months. During these lean times, Pioneer Service is only one of many manufacturers that are grateful for the opportunity to contribute and keep their doors open to do so.

By itself, machine monitoring is not enough to gage manufacturing process performance.

To understand why, consider an analogy from Dr. Shahrukh Irani, a lean manufacturing consultant. He compares the machine shop with a piece of woven fabric. The vertical threads represent the workstations, and the horizontal threads represent the work. Through the lens of the machine monitoring system, the vertical threads are fully visible, stretching from one end of the fabric to the other. However, the horizontal threads are visible only at the intersections, where parts meet machines. The result is an incomplete patchwork of latticed chunks that provides limited insight. “You make money by moving metal through the shop,” Dr. Irani explains. “If you lose traceability of the parts from the moment the cycle finishes on machine one until the next cycle begins on machine two, how can you move the money faster?”

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Transcript:
Emily Probst: Hi, I'm Emily Probst, senior editor with Modern Machine Shop, and I'm here with Christina Fuges, editorial director of MoldMaking Technology magazine. Christina, as I was preparing to talk to you today, I was reflecting on the fact that Modern frequently covers the topic of die/mold machining in our pages, and it seems like this is the type of content that is great for MoldMaking Technology. But, I think that the content you cover is even more targeted than that, right?

Vickers Engineering is full of robots. Many are both large and powerful, and most move blindingly fast, fulfilling singular roles with such singular purpose that entering their protective cages requires rigid adherence to stringent safety protocols. The advantages of the latest collaborative arms aside, high part volumes, a breakneck production pace and an environment saturated with wear-inducing coolant and oil residue make traditional machine-tending automation the only choice for this Tier 1 automotive manufacturer.

However, Vickers’ success is due largely to making good on the idea that industrial robots can be more versatile than many believe. Perhaps the best proof of this is a relatively large structure near the center of the shop floor and emblazoned with a conspicuous logo: a red rabbit.

While preparing to physically relocate 14 milling and turning machines to his new building in Houston, Texas, owner James Wells decided it was the right time to examine every process at Wells Manufacturing for potential optimization.

He had just invested in a new, larger facility with bright lights and shiny new epoxy floors intended to represent the culture of quality at Wells Manufacturing. But it wasn’t until he had to clean out his machines for the move that he thought about the metalworking fluids going into them. After a decade of filling the sumps with the same product, he recognized an opportunity to try something new in hopes of further improving the new shop environment.